What’s old is new again. The late 90’s and early 00’s zeitgeist had an intense moment of witchcraft. Something was in the air, and endures to this day, as films like The Craft and shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Charmed were staggeringly popular and remain so amongst a particular generation. In amongst it all was Practical Magic, and the Owens Sisters – the uptight Sally (Sandra Bullock) and aloof Gillian (Nicole Kidman) – both witches, beset by a family curse that kills any man who they fall in love with. Rounding out the coven were their warm and whimsical aunties, Jet (Diane Weist) and Franny (Stockard Channing), helping guide them along in their dark yet spellbinding life. The film was a flop at the box office, but, thanks to the power of home video and DVD, as well as the popularity of Alice Hoffman’s novels, the film saw new life that has continued for nearly 30 years without any sign of waining. Cue Practical Magic 2.
Practical Magic is such a hodge podge of ideas and narrative threads that don’t really coalesce. Bouncing from genre to genre, it’s a modern day witchy grunge fest that turns into a murder mystery with a bonus exorcism for funsies. It very much chugs along on vibes, as well as the intense chemistry between the four women of this whimsical little coven. The famed Midnight Margarita sequence kind of comes out of nowhere, with no real context to speak of but, for many, is the defining moment of the film. So, it comes as no shock that Practical Magic 2 is a little more disciplined in the way it spins its yarn, with the the narrative still very much powered by vibes – this time of the nostalgic variety – and the knockout chemistry between Kidman and Bullock. It’s easy, and only a little derivative to call this a cash grab if only going by the enthusiasm of the film’s leads. It’s been nearly 30 years since Practical Magic and yet the ladies don’t miss a beat, wearing their characters like a snug fitting cloak. Bullock and Kidman clearly love these characters, and the connection between the two is palpable, even after three decades.
The story this time is more tightly focused, as Sally’s daughter Kylie (Joey King) is the latest benefactor of the Owens Curse, with her too-good-to-be-true boyfriend, Gideon (Xolo Maridueña) on the receiving end of a vehicular mishap. With Mr Right in a coma, Kylie travels across the pond, to rainy England, to walk a dark path in the hopes of ending the centuries’ old curse once and for all. The hodge podge genre hopping hasn’t ended, as Practical Magic 2 bounces between legacy sequel to a Nicholas Sparks-esque tragicomedy, to an ill fitting supernatural vfx extravaganza. If anything is bringing this ship down, it’s the film’s inability to go a beat without a melodramatic twist that threatens to turn everything into a bad episode of Charmed.
While King bears most of the emotional load of the film, sadly Maisie Williams’ Antonia is given shockingly little to do. Did I mentioned that Kylie has a sister? In fact, it’s almost as if director, Susanne Bier and co forgot Williams was there to begin with. For a franchise whose core theme is sisterhood, Practical Magic 2 almost neglects all of that, as Sally’s other daughter is sidelined, needlessly in the film’s most blundering moment of wasted potential. Writers Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel could have really hammered home the idea of the younger generation being burdened with the task of breaking a familial curse, only for the story to veer off course needlessly.
Still the film has its charms as the aforementioned chemistry between Bullock and Kidman shows no sign of slowing and the entrance of a new tall, dark stranger. As its leading man, Lee Pace has swagger for days as a sultry, soft spoken, disgraced professor helping the sisters on their journey. He makes a lot more sense than Aidan Quinn’s buttoned up cop from the previous film. Adorned with arcane tattoos and a baritone voice that vibrates through your chest, Pace knows exactly why he’s there in the first place. The swooning shall continue until morale improves.
Practical Magic 2 might not have the cultural staying power of its predecessor, but all the things that made it such a pop culture focal point for many back in 1998 remains so here. It’s a film that delights in its messiness, while Kidman and Bullock are just as wry and delightful as ever. For fans, it’s a sequel worthy of getting the coven back together for some midnight margaritas and a night at the movies.
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